Silver Steak
by djenie
Summary: Set just after 'Unending.' When Teal'c appeared with that streak of silver in his hair, I'll bet there was more said than just what we saw on screen. Jack/Sam. Angst/Romance. Rated M for sexual content.


**The Odyssey returns after the events in 'Unending.' Surely there would have been more reaction, more discussion than the recitation of clichés we saw in the Gate Room!**

**Spoiler for 'Unending.'**

**Brief mention of some events in 'Line in the Sand,' 'Camelot,' 'Flesh and Blood,' and 'Company of Thieves.' **

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

His secretary had been gone for half an hour, and Major General Jack O'Neill was just getting ready to leave his Pentagon office for the day when his cell phone rang. He glanced at the caller ID and blinked. _Not who he was expecting._ He'd thought it would be Kerry Johnson confirming their dinner plans. Instead, the screen read Carter. He knew the Odyssey had arrived back in orbit around mid-afternoon, but it was usually many hours, sometimes a full day, before all the post-flight details were wrapped up and she was able to contact him. That was why he'd felt okay saying yes when Kerry had called a couple of hours ago and invited him to discuss the latest CIA-Homeworld issues over dinner. She'd just flown into DC from San Francisco, she said, and she was exhausted, and would it be okay if they met in her hotel room and talked while they ate. Time was he'd have been wary of such an invitation, but he and Kerry were long in the past, and both had decisively moved on.

So now he smiled because Carter was calling and hopefully he'd be the one changing the dinner plans. He raised the phone to his ear, grinning as he answered. "Hi."

"Hi," she responded after a second, her tone subdued, and he knew immediately that something was wrong.

"Carter? You okay? What's happened?"

She sighed. "I'm fine. Everybody's fine."

He let out a relieved breath. "Good. What's going on, then?"

"I need you, Jack. Are you busy right now?"

_Jack? She never called him Jack when she was on duty! _ "Never too busy for you. I'm just leaving the office. Should I meet you..."

"I'll come there," she interrupted.

He opened his mouth, but before he could utter another word there was a familiar white flash and she was standing in front of him. Her eyes sought his anxiously, and tears welled up the instant they connected. She dropped the phone she was holding—it landed on the carpet with a soft thud—and walked straight into his arms, wrapping her own arms tight around his waist and hiding her face against his shoulder.

Instinctively he embraced her, pulling her close as he felt her body start to tremble. Alarmed, he tried to bend down and see her face. "Carter! You said you were all right! Are you hurt?" He felt her head shake a negative against him. "Someone else? Daniel? Teal'c?" She started to cry, but kept shaking her head. "Carter... Sam, please!" he begged after a moment. "...gimme a break here! Tell me what's going on." She said something incoherent into his shoulder, and held on tighter. "God, Sam! Talk to me!"

Pleading with her to explain proved futile. All he got were more tears and unintelligible mumblings as she clamped on him like a barnacle. Finally, he resorted to other tactics. Burying his face in the softness of her neck, he began kissing her. Starting at the juncture of throat and shoulder, he worked his way slowly upward to the tender spot behind her ear—one of his favorite places—and soon became engrossed in the sensation of kissing and licking and sucking on the pliant flesh.

Meanwhile, his hands were not idle. His left hand snaked its way under the waist band at the back of her BDU pants, then down until he could feel the top elastic of her bikini panties, and his fingers slipped inside to stroke the firm swell of her buttock. At the same time, his right hand was cleverly unbuttoning her shirt, caressing gently the smooth skin of her collarbone and upper chest, dipping just a tiny bit beneath the top edge of her bra, and then retreating to the higher region.

Her crying eased and her breath caught with a different kind of sound as his fingers ventured beneath the lacy support for the third time. She groaned when he brushed his fingers lightly across the outside of the bra cup, feeling the stiffening of aroused nipple through the thin fabric. Her hands had found their way under his jacket, and fingers were sliding over the smooth cloth of his shirt, clenching the fabric into a wrinkled mess at his waist.

His hand slid inside the bra and cupped the sweet flesh of her breast, and the left hand reached lower, grasping her buttock firmly, drawing her body hard against his. Her tears had given away to gasps as she responded to his touch, and there were only a few hiccupy sounds remaining. Her breath was heavy and hot on his face as she tried to turn her mouth to find his, but his lips were still exploring the velvet of her throat, and finding their way down to the upper swell of breast. Her arms slid around his neck as she continued to seek his mouth with hers.

"I need you, Jack..." she murmured against his lips. "Now... please..."

"Here?" he asked, surprised, but with no real objection, since his need for her was growing every second he held her in his arms.

"Here..." Her voice was thick with more than just tears now. Her mouth claimed his, hot and urgent. The kiss brought him to the brink of losing control.

"I have... a dinner meeting," he groaned, almost lost in the pleasure of her mouth on his skin.

"Cancel it," she ordered

"Okay..." He had to step back, put some distance between them as he searched for his phone, wondering how he'd be able to speak to Kerry in anything like a normal voice... especially since she had heard his voice when he was... _Damn! Don't go there, Jack! _ "Just a minute," he said.

Sam gave him one more scalding kiss, leaving him shaky on his feet, and then she slipped out of his arms and crossed the room to the huge leather couch against the far wall. She began to take off her shirt, slowly undoing the last few buttons he had missed, her eyes on him all the time, making sure he was watching. The last button was free and she allowed the garment to slip slowly off first one shoulder and then the other, let it drop to the floor. The bra was a front hook. She took her time working her way down the row of hooks, freeing first one full breast, and then the second.

Jack fumbled blindly on the desk and chair for his phone—he had no idea where he'd put it when she appeared—while his eyes were glued to Sam. He finally found it in his jacket pocket—and tried twice unsuccessfully to dial Kerry's number.

As Kerry answered, Sam was just reaching for the top band of her panties. She snapped the elastic against her skin and smiled at Jack, and his eyes glazed over. He barely hung on to the phone and had to clear his throat before he could speak. "Hi. It's me," he said, his voice rough. "Um... I need to cancel that meeting..."

"That's okay," Kerry replied—did he hear a smirk in her voice? "I was sitting here falling asleep, anyway. Can we do it tomorrow?"

"Sounds good. My office? I'll have my secretary call you around nine to set a time."

"That works. Have a good evening." Definitely a smirk.

"Thanks," he managed. "Uh... you, too."

He dropped the phone on the desk and turned toward Sam, who was now lying naked on the couch, stretched out provocatively, with one knee bent and an arm above her head, which lifted her breast in a most exquisite manner.

Jack had already shed his jacket and was fumbling with his tie by the time he reached the couch. He dropped to one knee, and began kissing Sam's breast, even as he worked his shirt buttons free. She helped him with the buttons and the shirt slipped to the floor. He made short shrift of his t-shirt. And then his hands reached for her, the softness of her breasts, the smooth skin of her stomach and thighs...

Her fingers were working on his zipper, and then she was pushing his trousers down over his hips, and he was forced to stand again and toe off his shoes in order to remove the pants. Her hands reached for him then, stroking and kneading and cupping... until he lost his breath, and his reason was in jeopardy.

She pulled him down on the couch with her, which meant mostly on top of her, and he could feel her from head to foot, the length of her body against his, the soft heat of her skin causing a near complete loss of coherent thought...

Jack's body took control then, and he insinuated himself between her thighs and thrust into the damp heat there—she arched up to him with a cry of pleasure, and climaxed immediately, long and hard, and he struggled to hold himself in check until she finally sagged beneath him, eyes rolled back into her head, the orgasm so intense that she was left momentarily helpless.

He held his body completely still, breathing carefully, making himself relax... remaining unmoving within her was almost more than he could manage... her moist warmth was tight and firm and soft, enclosing him completely... if she were not totally, bonelessly, immobile under him, he would not have a prayer of hanging on.

Gradually he felt his body moving away from the danger of going over the edge. His breathing was nearer normal, and he lowered his head onto her shoulder, feeling the soft skin in the curve of her neck against his cheek.

Sam recovered herself blissfully, to the feel of a warm body full length, skin to skin with hers, hot wet lips, nibbling lightly at her throat, and Jack firm and solid inside her. He pulsed abruptly within her, and she nearly swooned again at the flood of sensation. Wrapping eager arms and legs around him, she rocked her hips up toward his and tightened her inner muscles around him. He responded with a groan and a single deep thrust. His lips and tongue claimed her breast, and she shrieked her pleasure as he sucked the nipple. Her hand grasped his hips, urging them into motion. When he resisted, she growled in her throat and began to beg. "Please, Jack... I need... please. Need you now..."

He reacted instinctively to the urgency in her voice, withdrawing and thrusting strongly, blindly.

She fell over the edge at once, her second orgasm stronger, if anything, than the first, her head thrown back, eyes sightless with release. Jack was only a beat behind, his throbbing climax extending hers even more. They both collapsed as the last shudders passed through them.

Jack gathered her in, wrapping arms and legs around her, making his body into a cocoon to shield her from whatever threat had followed her here. It was some time before either of them moved again, but at last he felt her stir in his embrace.

"Hey," he whispered.

"Hey," she replied.

"Tell me," he said. "What's happened?"

She closed her eyes tight. "Oh God. Thor is dead, Jack."

He drew in a breath. "Yeah. We got the message."

"They destroyed their world," she said. "Blew it up. They're all dead." She buried her face in his neck.

He held her, thinking how much worse it was for her, to see the entire Asgaard planet disintegrate, than for him to read the words. "I'm sorry," he said softly.

"Then the Ori found us," she said. "We couldn't escape. They were able to track the Asgaard core in the ship, even in hyperspace, and every time we dropped out, they were waiting."

He cringed. That hadn't been in the updates.

"We destroyed one of their ships with the Asgaard weapon. But there were just too many of them. We were trapped. Finally one of their ships fired a blast at point blank range."

"But obviously you escaped..."

"No. I put the ship in a time dilation field."

"A what?"

"Like the thing we used on Fifth and the human form Replicators, a time bubble," she explained. "Only in this one, years passed on the Odyssey, while only seconds went by outside."

"Acckk! Carter!" he objected.

She tried to explain. "From inside, it looked as if the Ori beam just stopped in space, and remained there for years and years. It moved too slowly to be detectable."

"What?" he repeated.

"Like the hour hand of a clock, only slower."

He put a hand to her head. "Sam, are you sure you're all right? Do you have a fever?"

She choked, half sob, half laugh. "I'm fine, Jack. I'm not sick. We were in the dilation field for fifty years."

"What?! Who?" His vocabulary was shrinking fast.

"Teal'c and Daniel, Vala, Cam, General Landry and I."

"What? Where was the crew?"

"We beamed them to a nearby planet with a stargate," she explained. "We were in the dilation field for fifty years."

Now Jack was getting scared. She's delusional, he thought. "Sam, are you sure you're okay? Maybe we should get you checked out by a doctor..."

"No, Jack. It really happened..." she insisted, a little hysterically. "We lived on the Odyssey for fifty years!"

"Shh, Sam." He tried to move away, to get them up off the couch. "It's okay, Sam. We're gonna get up now and...and get dressed"—this was ludicrous!—"and take you to a hospital."

"Jack, no. I'm not finished." She pulled him back down to her, kissed him softly. "I know how it sounds. But I'm not crazy or hallucinating. Just let me finish."

He looked into her eyes. They appeared clear and sane—tearful and upset, but sane.

"Okay," he said. "Tell me."

"We were in the field for fifty years because I couldn't figure out how to take us out without having the Ori destroy us," she explained. "You see... the blast from their ship was only milliseconds away in 'real time,' and even if we could avoid it, they'd still track us down and be waiting the next time we dropped out of hyper-space..."

"Sa-am..."

"But I finally did find a way."

"Soo... you didn't age in those fifty years?" he said, humoring her, trying to think of how to help her.

"Yes. We did. We were all old...very old, when I finally did it."

Now he didn't know what to say, just continued to hold her. He was getting more and more worried. He was afraid she was in serious trouble. "Go on."

"I sent Teal'c back with the solution."

"Ah." As if _that_ explained everything.

"He stopped me from turning on the dilation field and gave me the crystal with the program that I had created to escape the Ori. So none of it ever happened."

Jack was getting a massive headache. Maybe _he_ was the one in trouble. Maybe he was having a stroke or something and imagining this entire conversation!

"Except for Teal'c, of course," Sam said. "It happened for him. He has gray hair."

"Gray hair..." Jack repeated.

"Yes."

"Teal'c has gray hair?"

"Yes... well, not all of it, just this wide silvery streak on one side."

Jack stared at her. This was the most surreal conversation he could ever recall having with anyone. "Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why does Teal'c have gray hair?"

"Because he's fifty years older than he was before."

"Before what?"

"Aren't you listening, Jack?" She sounded exasperated. "Before the time dilation field!"

"But you said that never happened. That he fixed it."

"Yes, he did. But he lived through it before he fixed it."

"But... if it never happened..." he pleaded.

"It didn't happen for the rest of us. Because he came back and stopped it."

He tried to make sense of that. "Okay, so this is one of those time travel thingies? He came back and changed the past? I thought you always said that was a bad idea."

"Uh... it is, usually. But this was different."

"How?" Jack asked.

"Because he wasn't changing the past—he was just eliminating that little branch of the timeline—a sort of 'mini-alternate reality'—that happened inside the dilation field. In the 'real' world, it was only a few milliseconds long."

Jack really wanted to give up at that point, but there was still one detail that bothered him. "What if he hadn't been able to get back and fix it? What would've happened then?"

She shivered. "We'd have died and the Odyssey would have been destroyed by the Ori blast." A chill ran through Jack at her words. "I know," she said, seeing his face. "That's why I feel like... I feel... I don't know. It was so close. If I hadn't found an answer or Teal'c couldn't get back... We'd have died eventually of old age—but from outside, out in 'real-time' it would only have been a few seconds. And you'd have thought... And we'd have never... Oh, God, Jack." Tears were running from the corners of her eyes, down the side of her head into her hair. She gripped him tighter. "I must've missed you so much, Jack! How could I have lived for fifty years without you? It feels like... almost like it really happened. I mean it did really happen... to Teal'c and to _them_..."

Jack had understood only about one quarter of what she'd been saying, but he did understand this. "Yes, Sam. It happened to _them_. But it didn't happen to _you!" _He pulled her in and held her tight. "You're here, and I've got you, and it didn't happen to you. That other Sam... it's... it's like the realities in the Squanto mirror. It's not _us. _ It was terrible and sad, but it wasn't us. We're here, together, just like we're supposed to be. Even... even a soap-bubble time-thingy can't change the fact that we're supposed to be together, Sam..."

She snorted out a laugh through the tears. "Soap-bubble... _Squanto mirror_... God, Jack! You're incredible! Do you have any idea how much I love you! What would I ever do without you... Oh, I feel so bad for that other me!" She started to cry again.

"Sshh. Sam. Please... don't, sweetheart. I love you, too." The last time he could remember seeing Sam so unglued was when her father died.

He held her and talked softly to her for a long time, and finally he felt her begin to relax. Every now and then she would hiccup another sob and hold him tighter, but gradually she grew heavy in his arms, her eyes slipping shut. She slept.

When Jack moved, it was slowly and carefully, untangling their arms and legs and raising himself away gently, so as not to wake her. He went to the closet and took out a blanket, which he draped over her softly; she did not stir.

He picked up his uniform from the floor and got dressed. Quietly, he went into the outer office, leaving the door open a little so he could hear Sam if she woke. Using his secretary's computer, he put in a call to the Odyssey. In a few moments, he was looking at Teal'c on the monitor. He stared at his friend, and words failed him.

"O'Neill. It is good to see you, my brother."

"My God, Teal'c," Jack said when he found his voice. "What she said was true..."

"You have spoken with ColonelCarter."

He nodded dumbly. "She said... I mean she told me..." He raised a hand and made a vague gesture, touching his own temple and then waving toward the Jaffa's image. "...gray hair..."

A very small smile touched Teal'c's lips. "Indeed."

"Fifty years...?"

"That is correct."

Jack cleared his throat. "Um... Are...uh. Are you all right?"

"Yes. I am. Just a bit older."

"Fifty years isn't 'just a bit', Teal'c!"

"For a Jaffa it is. This merely puts me in the prime of adulthood."

Jack coughed and cleared his throat again. "I don't... What happened?"

"Did ColonelCarter not explain to you what occurred?"

"Yeah. She did. But she was so upset..."

A worried expression flickered in Teal'c's eyes. "I trust she is all right."

"I think she'll be okay. She's sleeping in my office." Jack paused and licked his lips. "Are you sure _you're_ okay?" He winced as he said it. Nothing like repeating himself a few times! "Sorry, T. I don't mean to keep... It's just... Well, this is so... bizarre."

"I understand, O'Neill. Rest assured, I am readjusting to life in this reality quite well."

"That's good. Yeah. Very good." He was starting to get his equilibrium back. Until he actually saw the streak of silver in Teal'c's hair, he had not been fully convinced that the thing Carter had described was possible. "Is there anything you need? I mean, any way I can help you get back in the groove?"

An eyebrow rose. "I believe I shall be quite able to find my 'groove', O'Neill. But, thank you for the offer. I shall call if I need you."

"Yes. You do that." Jack nodded. He drew a breath, and with it there was a subtle change in his demeanor. It was now General O'Neill sitting there. "You realize you will likely be expected to make a full report about this incident."

The Jaffa's expression also altered. "I do not believe it is in anyone's best interest to relate the events which occurred during the Odyssey's time in the dilation field, O'Neill. It is, after all, now a non-event."

O'Neill studied his friend's face for a long time. "Except that _you_ lived through it," he said.

"For the other members of the crew, it did not happen. I do not believe they should be apprised of things that no longer have any bearing on them. The current path toward future events cannot be allowed to suffer because of what has—or in this case, _has not_—occurred. The integrity of this time-line must be preserved."

O'Neill's eyes narrowed. "So, they've asked you."

"They have. It is difficult to deny them, but I believe it is the appropriate action."

Jack leaned forward, laying his forearms on the desk in front of him, bringing his face closer to the screen. For several long moments he stared at Teal'c. "I suppose in fifty years there are bound to be... incidents... that those involved might... regret. Or that would change their view of reality, if they knew of them," he said slowly.

Teal'c said nothing, merely looked straight into Jack's eyes.

After a time, Jack began to nod slowly. "I see your point. I'll do my best to keep this under control."

Teal'c bowed his head, conveying his thanks.

"Jack?"

He turned at the sound of her voice. "Sounds like Carter's awake. It's been good talking with you, Teal'c. I'll see you soon."

"Indeed, O'Neill. Give ColonelCarter my best." The screen went dark.

"Jack..." Her voice now sounded concerned.

"I'm coming," he called, shutting down the computer. He rose and turned back into the inner office.

Sam was half-sitting on the couch, her head leaning back against the cushions, holding the blanket in front of her. "You're dressed," she said drowsily. "Did I fall asleep?"

"Yes." Jack sat down beside her, and she moved to curl up against him, resting her head on his chest.

"Where were you?"

"I wanted to call the Odyssey and talk to Teal'c. He sends you his regards."

"Is he okay?" she asked.

"Seems to be fine. The silver streak is actually kind of attractive. Gives him an air of wisdom, I think."

She chuckled quietly, the sound vibrating against his skin. "Teal'c always had an air of wisdom, as you put it."

"True," he agreed. He felt her start to relax against him. "Sam?" he said after a minute.

"Mmm..." she murmured.

"Why don't we get you dressed, and we'll go home."

She gave him a small, teasing smile. "Are you going to dress me?" she asked, allowing the blanket to slide a few inches down from her shoulders.

He coughed. "Uh... I probably should let you do that..." His eyes followed the edge of the blanket. "...or else we'll never get out of here." He shook his head. "Let me go call for my car." He eased her away and sat forward.

"Jack?"

"You'll be more comfortable at home." He leaned over and kissed her softly.

He called for the car while she dressed. The drive to the house in Arlington took 45 minutes. Sam fell asleep with her head on Jack's shoulder. He nudged her awake and put an arm around her as they got out of the car. After thanking his driver, Jack dug his key out of his pocket and opened the door.

Sam paused inside the door and look around. It had been several weeks since she was here last. It was just as she remembered, comfortable, mildly cluttered, welcoming. She toed off her shoes and set them against the wall.

"You want a beer?" he asked, removing his jacket and dropping it on a chair.

"You got anything stronger?"

He looked at her in surprise. She almost never drank the hard stuff. Maybe a mixed drink when they went out, usually nursing it for most of the evening

"The usual Bushmills," he said. "I don't have anything to mix it with, though."

"That's okay. Maybe a little water."

"Travesty!" he exclaimed, putting a hand to his forehead dramatically. "You'd dilute good whiskey!?"

She laughed, flopping down on the sofa. "Okay. Whatever. Give it to me straight."

"Shall we order some food?" he asked, heading for the kitchen to retrieve the bottle and a glass. "Maybe Chinese?"

"That sounds good."

He returned in a couple of minutes with two fingers of whiskey for her and a bottle of Guiness for himself, and sat down beside her. She sipped the drink, choking only slightly on the first swallow. He was surprised how quickly she emptied the glass.

"So I'll call for the food." He took out his phone. "What would you like? The usual?"

"That's fine."

While he was calling she visited the bathroom, then went into the kitchen and poured herself another drink. She leaned against the butcher block that separated kitchen from living room and swallowed the whiskey as she listened to him finish the call.

"How long?" she asked.

"An hour at least."

"Good," she said. "Let's get in the shower." She started for the stairs without waiting for his answer.

He finished his beer, grabbed another from the fridge and followed.

They made love in the shower. She was as intense as she'd been earlier in his office—almost desperate. He caught some of the urgency that radiated from her and found himself matching her fervor. Afterward they washed each other in a more leisurely fashion, and then carefully dried one another. Jack was aware that Sam was somewhat unsteady—the effects of the whiskey on an empty stomach. He kept his arm around her, or a hand on her back as they made their way to the bedroom.

Several times she rubbed against him languidly, suggestively. After the third time, he hugged her and joked about needing a little time to recover. "You gotta let me catch up, y'know."

She ignored his comment, and began kissing him and caressing his chest and body. Her mouth was hot and demanding, and when she straddled him aggressively, he flipped her onto her back and used his hands and mouth to give her what she wanted. Afterward they both got dressed in sweats and t-shirts.

The food arrived and they set out the containers on the coffee table. He went to the kitchen for napkins and forks and another Guiness. She helped herself to more of the Bushmills.

She picked at the food, uninterested.

"Sam? You should eat," he said as he watched her sipping the drink.

"I know." She took a bite but clearly did not enjoy eating it. She dropped the fork on the table and sat back on the sofa, closing her eyes. "The room's spinning a little—I think I'm drunk..." she said softly, a little slurred.

"Uh-huh," he agreed, settling down beside her and taking her in his arms. "I think you are. Do you feel okay? Do you need anything?"

"Jus' you..."

"Me, you've got," he promised, smiling. "Want to go lie down?"

She shook her head and burrowed in deeper against his side. "I love you... Did I mention that lately?"

"You did. And I love you, too."

"Le's get married..." she invited.

He looked down at the top of her head, startled into speechlessness.

"Jack?" she questioned after several moments of silence.

"Sam." He held her closer. She'd never brought up the subject of marriage—he was always the one doing the asking. "I will marry you anytime you say. Anywhere. You know that. Tonight if you want. I'll wake up a judge I know or hire a plane to fly us to Vegas..." he paused and his voice was gentle. "But what brought this on?"

Her voice was small when she answered. "I'm scared."

He pulled away to try and see her face, and had to put his hand under her chin and tip it up in order to do so. "What are you scared of, Sam?"

"Losing you," she admitted.

"I'm right here...not goin' anywhere!"

"But something could happen. Anytime. Like it did..." She hid her face in his shoulder again. "That was so close... we nearly didn't get back. We could've lost each other for the rest of our lives... I mean..." It was muddled in her head—the other Sam _had _lost him for the rest of _her_ life.

"But _we_ didn't," he assured her. "And it's been close before. A lot of times. You know what they say—a miss is as good as a mile." He tried to make his tone light. When that didn't seem to do the trick, he continued. "What? What's going on?"

"Jack... what if I..." She stopped, not sure how to say what she meant.

"What if you what?"

"On the Odyssey. All those years." She didn't look at him. Her head was spinning and it was hard to find the words. "What if... if I was with somebody... it was such a long time... I'd have missed you so much. But I don't know... if I could have lived with the loneliness."

"Sam. In the first place _you_ were not on the ship for fifty years." He stroked her cheek. "It wasn't you. It was... an alternate reality you. We've seen that before. When Kawalsky and Carter came through the mirror. It wasn't you then and it wasn't you on the Odyssey."

"It's just that this... it feels closer to being me." She turned away from his eyes, as if she were ashamed. "It feels like... I don't know. That I've done something bad... betrayed you."

"Hey. Look at me." He turned her face back toward him. "You didn't do _anything_ wrong. Your other self _saved_ everybody, remember! We owe her! And what if something _did_ happen between you and someone there? Do you think I'd want you—_her_—to spend 50 years alone? That would be pretty selfish of me, wouldn't it? You won't lose me because of that. Is that what you think?"

"But if I did..."

"Sam..."

"Okay. She. If _she_ did, then Teal'c knows."

Jack stilled, staring at her, processing what she had just said. Thinking of the possibility that the other Sam had been with someone else was one thing, realizing that Teal's must have known was a little more difficult.

His first thought was, Teal'c would never tell anyone—and in fact that might be the very reason he was determined not to share details of those years on the ship. Try as he might, Jack could not stop the direction his thoughts were going; there were only two women on the ship, Sam and Vala, and two most likely men to partner up with—Daniel and Mitchell. Daniel would be the one he would expect Sam to gravitate toward, they were a lot alike and they loved each other anyway. But Vala had shown a serious interest in Daniel every since she first came into their lives—and she was, Jack admitted, an incredibly sexy and beautiful woman, who did not hesitate to use her attributes. It would take a stronger man than Daniel to resist her for very long.

Sam, on the other hand, would be reticent, would never rush into any relationship, because of him, Jack, and her dedication to getting back to him. It would be only after she had given up solving the problem, that she would have...

But she had _never_ given up! That was proven by the fact that Teal'c came back with the solution. She had stuck with it for the entire fifty years. That made Jack proud... but it also made him sad. Because if he was right, then the other Sam may have spent all that time alone...

These thoughts flashed through his mind in a matter of moments as he studied Sam's face—the face he loved more than anything in the world.

"Jack?" she said, in a low, almost fearful, voice.

He smiled, and hugged her closer. "It still wasn't you, Sam. And maybe Teal'c does know. But he'll never say." He paused and considered. "I hope she did have someone. Nobody should be alone for that long."

They went to bed early. She fell asleep almost immediately, and he spooned his body close behind hers, gratefully—the implications of what had happened were really only now sinking in; until now his concern for her had outweighed his own feelings. He had nearly lost her. Again. It had been so close—again.

He shivered as he remembered other times. The call from Hank Landry telling him she'd been badly wounded by an Ori staff blast on P9C-882. The time when she was trapped floating in a space suit beside the Supergate. Or held hostage by the Lucian Alliance when they captured the Odyssey.

His stomach clenched and sweat broke out on his body. He would never get used to the sick, fearful reaction. Drawing her closer, he buried his face in her hair and breathed in her scent. After a while he could feel sleep coming.

Maybe tomorrow they'd talk about getting married.


End file.
